Unfortunately, Miss Mortimer was busy on Duke of Edinburgh business so the results for who is going on the Science Centre trip have been delayed until our next session!
In the club this week, the energy group used their soldering skills to create a charging station to charge some batteries powered by solar cells. The soldering iron was used to melt some tin, which is then put onto the wires. When it solidifies it keeps the wires locked in place.
Check back next week for a larger update!
The first half of this week’s session was taken up by speeches. We require two members of the Energy group, two members of the Engineering group and one member of the P7 group to be nominated for the trip to the Glasgow Science Centre.
Plenty of pupils are keen to go and Robbie Hussain, Bilal Ahmed and Euan Moffat made their speeches on behalf of the Energy group, whilst Francis Husson, David Christie and Dougie Whittington wished to represent the Engineering group. The P7 group will be represented by either Annie Legg or Leigh Lawson. Results will be posted on this blog next week – so make sure you check back then!
The rest of this week’s session was taken up with further practical work. The P7 group are writing a letter to the P7 classes of Williamwood’s associated primaries; Busby, Carolside and Netherlee. They are also designing a poster to advertise the club.
The Engineering group split into two sub-teams. One of the teams is looking to make the Mars Rover spin in a spiral.
Finally, the Energy group continued to use the soldering techniques they learnt last week to make solar cells.
This week in STEM club, the different sub-teams are going to present reports on their work to the other groups. Make sure to check back next week for a summary of each of their progress.
Also, an opportunity has arisen for six members to represent the STEM club at a Science Competition at the Glasgow Science Centre. One member from each sub-team is going to go, along with two mentors.
Finally, our latest update is that the Energy group are learning and using the skills involved in soldering, whilst the Engineering group are continuing to program the robot.
This is the last week of STEM before the holidays. All the groups are mainly continuing with last weeks instructions.
The Energy group have constructed a crank with K’nex. They plugged in a solar cell into a battery in the K’nex model and they put a lamp over the cell. The crank started spinning and the little man model started turning the crank. However, Robbie pointed out that the dust storms on Mars meant that it would be impractical to use solar energy, because the storms would blot out what little sun the planet’s surface receives. They also made a buggy that moves with solar power, using a solar panel and a lamp.
The engineering group is still trying to program the robot which means the robot can rebound off walls if the ground is flat and not sloping. The right wheel is dragging and the robot seems to move slightly to the right. The stabilizers have fallen off and there is a communication problem. However, it is not all doom and gloom! The group have managed to increase the size and range of its sensors so that it can detect things easily.
Finally, the P7 Team continues to make up maths relay questions, while another branch of the team is planning out what equipment will be required for every activity.
More news will follow after the holidays – Happy Easter everyone!
Week 4 has been a quiet one.
We have constructed the profile for the newly formed P7 Team, which can be seen below:
P7 Team
Team Leader: Amy Walker
Co-ordinator: Annie Legg
Team Members: Leigh Lawson
This week the Engineering group started to program the robot Ken built. Their ultimate aim is to steer the robot around the classroom to find a pin. Currently, they are trying to program the robot to rebound off an object it may crash into. The Energy Group researched which energy would be best for powering an AAA battery; they were looking at solar energy. The P7 Team started writing questions for the maths relay they have created.
We also interviewed Miss Mortimer to look at how the project is progressing:
What is the ultimate aim of the STEM club?
“The ultimate aim of the STEM club is to encourage and enthuse as many people as possible in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.”
How do you think each group is doing?
“They are doing very well; there is strong leadership and very good team players.”
What equipment have we got?
“Loads! We have been really lucky to get a grant of nearly £2000 pounds from the Royal Society. Lots of kit for testing renewable energies and all the equipment needed to build a scratch built rover.”
What will happen to STEM when we have built the Rover?
“Hopefully we will use our skills and equipment to start the project with a new group of S1s.”
When do you reckon our Rover will be finished?
“The rover might be finished by the summer term.”
More to come soon!
Since completing their S2 exam, all pupils in this year group have been working hard on the Biodiversity and Scientists at Work units.
Shown below are some pictures of Biodiversity fieldwork, where pupils are taking advantage of the brilliant weather to get outside and look at the wide range of animal and plant life in the area surrounding Williamwood High School.
Watch the video below to see one of television’s most popular programmes discussing the best place to find new species.
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The Energy Group has split into three sub-groups, each looking at different types of energy. Robbie and Bilal are investigating wind energy, and wind as a direct means of propulsion, whilst considering how windy it is on Mars. They are also testing the fuelling of a cell with hydro energy, generated by a turbine made by the mentors last week.
Jenny and Julia are comparing solar energy to hydro energy. However, due to a slight hitch (one of the renewable energy car’s wheels fell off), they were obliged to create something new. Instead, they began constructing a water turbine with one of the science kits. Justin, Alex and Euan are researching and studying the modern applications of solar energy.
The Engineering Group is studying codes and programming. They have put together cards with commands on them, like a jigsaw, to visualise what the final code might look like. They are also thinking about what commands might be needed for the robot.
The newest team (the P7 team) has begun planning out possible lessons for the P7 workshops, which will take place in September and October. The idea is that there will be four stations, one each for Maths, Science, Technology and Engineering. Next week, the group will concentrate on one of these and will plan resources and pupil instructions.
Williamwood’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Project: Renewable Rover Racers has been officially launched. On the 9th February, the team welcomed Dr. Patrick Harkness from the University of Glasgow who gave the group a huge insight into Mars exploration. The group of eager S1 and S2’s, along with their S5 mentors quizzed Dr. Harkness on the engineering skills required to build a successful Mars Rover. They will build on the knowledge they picked up in the session and incorporate it into their Renewable Rover Racers project over the coming months.
The group will be communicating their work on this website via a weekly blog which can be accessed by clicking the link below:
Welcome to the Williamwood High School Science Department homepage.
Please use the tabs above to navigate around the site; there are links to information about all of our S1/S2 topics, our S3-S6 discrete sciences and a list of our staff. There is also a set of pages about our S1 and P7 Science clubs, including the blog about our STEM Mars Rover project.
On the right hand side you can find a link to our departmental Twitter feed so that if you have a Twitter account you can easily access our latest news. There are also links to many other science related websites that may come in useful. Finally, if English is not your first language, scroll to the bottom of the page and use Google translator to display the site in your preferred language.
For all class powerpoints, homework exercises and other materials, visit the Williamwood Science Department Glow Website. See your teacher if you do not know your log-in or password.
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